Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program at
Hampton University is a premier scholarship program funded by the
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the NIH.
The goal of the MARC program is to increase the number of
well-prepared underrepresented (UR) students who matriculate into
high caliber Ph.D. or combined M.D.-Ph.D. programs in the biomedical
sciences and eventually go on to research careers. This program
addresses the need to reduce the disparity in the number of
individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in biomedical research
careers. The long-term goal of this program at Hampton University is
to prepare HU graduates to be leaders in biomedical research by
improving their preparedness for Ph.D. programs.

The Pre-MARC program is specifically designed for freshmen
and sophomore students who are interested in learning about research
careers and in becoming academically prepared for them. This program
will increase and enhance the pool of MARC trainees at HU by
developing the students' critical thinking, problem solving,
quantitative reasoning, and research and communication skills.
Participation in the Pre-MARC program will increase the student's
chances of getting into the MARC program.

Students completing all the requirements of the Pre-MARC
program will receive a certificate of participation of the pre-MARC
program at the end of their sophomore year.

The MARC program, on the other hand, is a competitive
scholarship program for junior and senior students. It offers the
MARC trainees an interdisciplinary curriculum which will ensure their
competiveness in PhD programs at research intensive institutes. The
period of appointment to the MARC program is a consecutive 24-month
period starting June 1st of the junior year. During this two year
period, MARC scholars receive partial tuition and fees support as
well as a generous monthly stipend. The MARC scholarship also cover
in part the students' participation in academic year and summer
research experiences in funded laboratories and their attendance at
scientific conferences.

Students majoring in biology, biochemistry, mathematics and
chemical engineering are eligible to apply for the Pre-MARC and MARC
programs at Hampton University. For more details, please check the
website for eligibility of Pre-MARC and MARC programs.